Today I am traveling down virgin territory.  I have never written a blog before.  It feels strange that this is the first time, because I love to write.  I'm not sure how I would describe my writing style.  It's rarely serious and most of the time seems that I may have spent some time locked up somewhere.  At least it runs in the family...the locked up part.  I don't know where they would even put one of my books if I actually had it published.  A little fiction, non fiction, humor, geography (since I like to write about travel experiences) and humor.  I don't know if there is a dark side category.

I am writing about my trip to Haiti which I will be starting in a few days.  It has been somewhat stressful the last month trying to get supplies and monetary donations.  I'm not someone who likes to ask for money except from my husband.  We will be taking between 350 and 400 pounds of supplies with us.

I am traveling with my friend Susan, a retired teacher/school counselor that I worked with at Rotolo when I was assigned there through the police department.  She's not an avid flyer so we are traveling together to visit our friend Jamie who has been to Haiti numerous times.  She has been there since mid January 2013 after buying a one way ticket...she's nuts.

I was fortunate to have my sister in law, who is a teacher, do a entire school fundraiser for me for the entire month.  I am waiting to see what the fruits of her labor have produced besides stress.  My daughter Lydia's school just hopped on the Haiti bandwagon and is also helping me with supplies.  At this point I think I could open my own Kinder Care.  A spare room looks like a over grown assembly line of a hodge podge of everything I need to try to take with on this trip.

We did find out this week that bringing the 6 checked pieces of luggage is going to be close to $400.  We originally thought it would be $40 a bag but then soon realized that the last two are $150 a piece.  It was a big YIKES!  Now we are trying to figure out a way to make this work.  Even though we do have enough money to pay the luggage, the money originally was to be used at the orphanage we are going to be staying.  So, luggage or physical therapy for the kids???  The orphanage houses mainly disable children.  The conditions they live there would never be acceptable for kids like that here.  Wheelchairs made out of a plastic lawn chair, walkers that are like two broken chairs with the seats cut out that are duct taped together.  It blows my mind.  The staff are not professionals but try the best they can and work with what they have.

I've been to poor countries before and I think it's important for one to experience something like that just to put our own lives into focus and see how good even our bad is in the U.S. compared to what people less fortunate experience every day.  I want my daughter Lydia, who is nearly ten to experience this as well.  And on a smaller scale, she has and I do want her to be exposed to this because I think somewhere down the line she will appreciate all those experiences she has witnessed first hand.

Ok,  I have to stop, I'm getting too serious and am thinking way back when  Sally Struthers was trying to "save the children". 

"Kicks soapbox away"

Now for those of you silly enough to follow my rants, I will have Internet access although it may not be every day.  I will try to post pictures as much as possible.  I also started a blog (not quite yet) for the teachers to share with their students so they can see how their efforts have helped out as well.  I needed two mostly because since being in law enforcement for so long kind of took away some of the clean talk.  I try, but sometimes things just slip out or an expletive really just needs to be there.  If you are easily offended or "disturbed"  then just stop here and read no further.  I don't want to hear about it down the road.

That's all for today.  See ya soon.